Top police officer Big Joke or General Surachate Hakparn met newly appointed Cambodian Police Chief Sar Thet last week in pursuit of everyone who took part in the insidious fraud scheme which led to the appalling tragedy unfolding in Thailand.
Arrests are expected in the coming days in Cambodia as police hunt down the leadership of a fraudulent loan application facility which triggered the murder of a mother and her two children in Samut Prakan on August 28th last. Deputy National Police Chief General Surachate Hakparn, on Wednesday, revealed that up to 20 people had already been arrested and that police on both sides of the border had identified the leader of the gang while arrest warrants for three Chinese individuals were the latest to be sought. On Sunday, police on Ko Samui arrested a 31-year-old Russian national for his involvement in the fraud.
On Wednesday, at the Police Club in central Bangkok, Deputy Police Chief General Surachate Hakparn announced that police operations will soon take place in Cambodia, in which it is hoped to arrest the leadership of a crime gang which operated a fake online loan facility to the public which resulted in loss of ฿1.7 million to an already financially distressed family in Samut Prakan in the days leading up to August 25th, leading the father of the family to murder his wife and two sons in the early hours August 28th, was in train.
General Surachate revealed that police in Thailand and Cambodia have already identified the leader of the criminal gang.
Police in Thailand and Cambodia continue to obtain intelligence and tips from those picked up in a continuous wave of arrests to smash the gang
Arrest warrants have also been issued for three Chinese people in the neighbouring kingdom as police on both sides of the border continue to receive intelligence and cooperation from those who are being picked up concerning the case which has been directed by General Surachate since last week.
Massive police response to the case of a family murdered by father after ฿1.7 million scam loss last week
Debt and ฿1.7 million loss to scammers drive man to murder his wife and two sons in Samut Prakan
The shocking development, on Monday 28th August last, saw Mr Sanich Dokmai murder his wife, 45-year-old Ms Wiphaporn and the couple’s two school-going children at the family home in the Bank Phli district of the province in the early hours of the morning.
The family were already indebted over a guarantee given by Mr Sanich to his employer over a car loan which had led to legal proceedings progress to an advanced stage with the Legal Execution Department for the possession of the family home.
Mother and wife desperately sought a credit facility to fend off proceedings against the family’s home
The threat of this caused Ms Wiraphon to desperately seek credit facilities and apply to the fake online loan application online.
This led her to borrow over ฿1.39 million in short-term loan facilities from friends to send to the application which had promised her loan approval and to wire her the loan facility in addition to the fees which they demanded to be paid in advance.
Last week, investigators at the Royal Thai Police headquarters in Bangkok liaised with investigators from Bang Kaew Police Station working on the case.
Progress was made tracking the funds sent by Ms Wiraphon before her murder to a bank account controlled by the gang leading to multiple arrests including a mule who had withdrawn cash and carried it across the border into Cambodia with the online scammer gang believed to have been headquarters in the town of Poipet across the border from Sa Kaeo Province.
20 people already arrested in heavy police activity on both sides of the border as the case unfolds
On Wednesday, General Surachate revealed that up to 20 people have now been arrested in the expanding investigation which is leading to a crackdown on such activities in Cambodia at the hands of that kingdom’s police.
Last week, General Surachate travelled to Cambodia where he met the newly appointed Cambodian Police Chief, Mr Sar Thet, who promised the full cooperation of the Cambodian police authorities in smashing this particular scam operation and others which are increasingly becoming a problem for people in Thailand.
Cambodian cybercrime industry run by Chinese criminals could be generating up to 38% of its GDP
Campaign begins to fight cybercrime in Thailand with 800 criminal cases being reported per day
In a recent campaign launched by outgoing National Police Chief, General Damrongsak Kittiprapas, it was revealed that Thai police are now receiving up to 800 criminal complaints daily, linked to online cybercrime activity, much of it from Cambodia.
On Wednesday, General Surachate revealed that among the 20 suspects already arrested by police on both sides of the border are accountants and those involved in the movement of cash fraudulently obtained from victims of the illegal loan application service.
Russian arrested at luxury villa hotel in Ko Samui
On Sunday, the 3rd of September, police on the holiday island of Ko Samui, in southern Surat Thani province, executed an arrest warrant issued by Samat Prakan Provincial Court on Thursday, August 31st and arrested a 31-year-old Russian national identified as Mr Daniil Aldunenkov in connection with this investigation.
He was taken into custody at the Panorama Hotel, a luxurious facility offering villa-style accommodation with mountain side views in Ko Samui.
The Russian was charged with involvement in the operation of the computer website and applications associated with the fake loan application scam.
31-year-old Russian national facing fraud charges and offences under the Computer Crime Act of 2017
He was charged with engaging in fraud and uploading false and distorted information to a computer system. These are serious offences under the Criminal Code and the Computer Crime Act of 2017.
The foreigner was also charged with the provision of electric credit card systems and bank facilities for fraudulent purposes.
Mr Aldunenkov was transferred to Bang Kaew Police Station in Samut Prakan where he will be prosecuted by officers leading what is an expanding investigation.
Sources close to the priority police operation suggest that the ringleader of the scam loan application and known associates will be apprehended in Cambodia in the coming days.
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Further reading:
Cambodian cybercrime industry run by Chinese criminals could be generating up to 38% of its GDP
Debt and ฿1.7 million loss to scammers drive man to murder his wife and two sons in Samut Prakan
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